03-Apr-2008 - The use of disposable manufacturing equipment in pharmaceutical production and greater need for containment equipment were recurring themes at the Interphex show in Philadelphia last week, and both were addressed by new equipment from Bosch Packaging Technology.
02-Apr-2008 - Waters Corp unveiled a new concept in Process Analytical Technology (PAT) at Pittcon 2008 when it released the new Patrol UPLC (ultra performance liquid chromatography) process analyser, which can be incorporated directly into a process.
02-Apr-2008 - With manufacturing productivity in the pharmaceutical sector widely acknowledged as being in need of modernisation, a US firm believes it has developed a technology that could carve days off the time spent on microbial testing, a cumbersome but ubiquitous part of the quality control process.
30-Mar-2008 - China's drug regulatory authority is finally responding to curb its damaged reputation by urging its local authorities to take a more proactive role in stemming what is fast becoming a global heparin contamination, sparked by material sourced in the country.
27-Mar-2008 - Canada's SemBioSys Genetics has begun final pre-clinical studies of its novel plant-produced insulin product in preparation for its submission to US regulatory authorities.
27-Mar-2008 - New research has shown that the FDA's strict 10-month deadline for a drug's approval following submission may compromise drug safety and lead to insufficient data for precise drug administration.
27-Mar-2008 - The pharmaceutical industry in the UK faces tougher legislation on the disclosure of adverse events in clinical trials following the MHRA's thwarted attempt to prosecute GlaxoSmithKline for allegedly withholding information about risks of suicidal behaviour in children and adolescents taking its antidepressant Seroxat (paroxetine).
27-Mar-2008 - The ageing population of the European Union (EU) could result in a stagnation in technological innovation, according to a new report. As science and technology professionals get older and less socially mobile, there are fears that it could result in a loss in scientific expertise.
27-Mar-2008 - Research and development investment by America's pharmaceutical and biotechnology research companies reached a record $58.8bn last year, a rise of $3bn since 2006.
26-Mar-2008 - The generic pharmaceutical industry has given short shrift to the latest congressional attempt to construct a viable approval pathway for biosimilars in the US.
26-Mar-2008 - The pharmaceutical industry has lost confidence in the UK as a place to do business to an "alarming degree" and the situation is only set to deteriorate, reveals new research.
25-Mar-2008 - The heparin recall has widened after a lot of heparin sodium USP active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) produced by Scientific Protein Laboratories (SPL) was found to contain a heparin-like contaminant.
20-Mar-2008 - The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has now identified the contaminant found in samples of Baxter's recalled heparin and confirmed that it is indeed linked to a Chinese manufacturing plant.
19-Mar-2008 - Batch pedigrees, obligatory product seals, mass serialisation, mandatory audits and tighter requirements for the manufacture, import, export and transportation of medicinal products are among the legislative steps being considered by the European Commission to counter the growing threat of counterfeit drugs in the EU.
19-Mar-2008 - A revised glycerin monograph has been announced at the US Pharmacopeial (USP) Convention which it is hoped will further decrease the likelihood of health hazards associated with diethylene glycol-contaminated glycerin.
17-Mar-2008 - The costs of introducing any formal good manufacturing practice (GMP) requirements for potentially high-risk pharmaceutical excipients in the European Union would far exceed the likely benefits, concludes an impact assessment for the European Commission.
12-Mar-2008 - Politicians in the US have gone on the offensive while regulators and industry groups have circled their wagons over a five-month investigation by the Associated Press that has rung alarm bells about trace levels of pharmaceuticals in drinking water.
07-Mar-2008 - A US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) investigation into the recent Baxter heparin scare has uncovered a contaminant in the product that was sourcing the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) from a Chinese manufacturer.
06-Mar-2008 - A joint development partnership between Malvern Instruments and imaging specialist FEI has produced what the companies claim is the first ever tool for determining the size and shape of sub-micron particles through direct analysis.
28-Feb-2008 - A multinational, multidisciplinary initiative involving scientists, public health workers, police and government officials could provide a cogent model for rooting out and stamping out counterfeiting of essential and lifesaving drugs.
21-Feb-2008 - Germany's rap.ID Particle Systems has launched a new lab-ready particle identification device capable of identifying around 400 particles an hour from 5µm and up. The company says the device is suited for development and quality assurance in the pharmaceutical industry.
20-Feb-2008 - Generic drug manufacturer Vintage Pharmaceuticals has fallen foul of the regulatory authorities in the US once again for failing to meet quality standards.
20-Feb-2008 - Concerns have been building across North America about the safety of transdermal patches for delivering the highly potent narcotic analgesic fentanyl.
19-Feb-2008 - With 40-60 per cent of a global drug manufacturing industry worth more than $380bn captured by the North American marketplace, the region offers sustained opportunities for suppliers of pharmaceutical water and wastewater treatment solutions to increase their revenues while improving market share and brand recognition.
18-Feb-2008 - An end may be in sight to the long-running problems with the Florida manufacturing facility acquired by US brand and generic company Watson Pharmaceuticals with Andrx Corporation in November 2006.